Greek Lamb Shoulder Food

SLOW ROASTED GREEK SHOULDER OF LAMB

Steps:

• preheat oven to 200c (390f) on bake, not fan
• keep aside a little of the preserved lemon for garnish
• in a small bowl add all ingredients except lamb and mix to a paste
• spread 3 layers of tin foil, then another 3 layers of foil facing the opposite way
• place lamb on foil and rub marinade all over top and bottom
• wrap foil very tightly around lamb
• sit lamb on a trivet, or cake rack in a baking dish
• place in preheated oven on middle shelf for 10 minutes
• reduce oven temperature to 130c (260f) and cook for 5 hours
• carefully unwrap the foil and drain juices into a small saucepan
• cover lamb with foil
• reduce jus on medium heat until it reduces a little (about 10 minutes)
• pour jus into a serving jug
• sprinkle parsley, preserved lemon and currants over lamb
• serve and enjoy!

GREEK SLOW ROASTED LAMB SHOULDER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan assisted/Gas mark 6.
• In a bowl add the marinade ingredients and mix through until fully combined.
• Place 3 large strips off foil on the work surface and massage the marinade all over the lamb until it is fully covered.
• Wrap the lamb tightly in the foil. Place on a rack within a roasting tin. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes.
• Now reduce the heat to 130°C/110°C fan assisted/Gas mark 1/2 and roast for a further 5 hours. Carefully unwrap the foil and add the juices to a pan, place over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until reduced. Meanwhile, cover the lamb in foil and set aside.
• To serve, pour the jus into a serving jug, sprinkle the lamb with parsley and preserved lemons. Serve with Greek Salad, roasted potatoes, pitta and/or seasonal vegetables. Enjoy!

MARINATED LAMB SHOULDER CHOPS

Steps:

• Whisk together the olive oil, oregano, dill, mint, garlic, lemon zest and juice, red pepper flakes and salt in a small bowl to form a thick paste. Slather on the lamb chops. Marinate the chops at room temperature up to 2 hours or in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
• If the lamb was in the refrigerator, let it come to room temperature before grilling.
• Preheat the grill to medium. When the grill is hot, brush the grates with a wire grill brush to loosen any crud. Wipe the grates with an oiled side towel to pick up any loose soot or crud.
• Arrange the lamb chops on the grill. Do not move the chops for 2 to 3 minutes to allow lovely grill marks to form. Rotate the chops 90 degrees to create cross-hatch grill marks and grill for another 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chops and repeat the process. Remove the chops from the grill to a platter and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

ROASTED SHOULDER OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Push garlic (3 to 4 slivers) into the shoulder of lamb. Cover with sprigs of rosemary, salt and a little olive oil. Roast uncovered for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Remove lamb and leave to rest. Drain off the excess fat. Over the heat, add the flour to the pan of juices and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add red wine or vegetable stock, stir until thick.

GREEK LAMB ROTISSERIE/GRILL METHODS

Steps:

• Cut excess fat from leg of lamb.
• Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl or baking dish large enough to accommodate the lamb and mix well. Message marinade into lamb making sure it is in everywhere. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning often.
• Remove from refrigerator to allow it to reach room temperature about 30 minutes.
• Preheat grill.
• Re-roll leg into a roast very tightly and tie.
• Place lamb on middle of the rotisserie skewer making sure it is balanced and secure.
• Reduce temperature to low. Cook for 2 hours brushing with remaining marinade every 1/2 hour.
• When the middle of the meat reaches a temperature of about 145 degrees remove from grill.
• Let a leg of lamb rest for 20 minutes before you start carving it up. This will even out the temperature, make sure it's completely done and allow the juices to flow back into the meat.
• Carve the meat, starting from the thick end and work our way down to the shank.
• Alternate cooking Method:.
• Start by grilling the leg over a medium high direct heat to sear the surface. This will give the meat a crusty surface and add texture. Turn every 5 minutes to sear the surface evenly. On the rotisserie you won't have to worry about this. Grill over this direct heat for about 15 minutes then move to indirect grilling and cut the temperature down to a medium heat. Watch for flare-ups during the direct grilling phase. The leg of lamb will need about 20 minutes per pound to cook so plan accordingly.

TRADITIONAL GREEK ROASTED LAMB AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Pat dry the lamb using paper towels and place it in a roasting pan. Using a sharp knife, make several incisions in the lamb and insert the slivered garlic and half of the rosemary leaves.
• Whisk together the olive oil, salt, pepper, the other half of the garlic (minced), the other half of the rosemary (chopped), thyme, oregano and lemon zest. Pour the marinade over the lamb making sure to cover it on all sides. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• 30 minutes before you are ready to roast the lamb, remove it from the refrigerator and turn on the oven to 450°F.
• Wrap the lamb and its marinade well with parchment paper (not wax paper) and then with aluminum foil (this will ensure that all the juices stay with the meat and do not leek.) If you do not have parchment paper, use two layers of foil instead. Place the roasting pan with the lamb in the middle rack of the oven, cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 360°F. Roast for 2 hours.
• While the lamb roasts, cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and then in quarters. If the potatoes are large, cut each quarter in half again. Place them in a medium bowl and toss them with the salt, pepper, oregano, and lemon juice.
• After two hours, remove the roast from the oven, open the wrapping carefully and check it. At this point, the bone should be loose and starting to come away from the meat. If it is not, cover the lamb again, return it to the oven, and roast for another 15 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Uncover the lamb; there should be about a cup of its juices in the pan. If there is not enough liquid, add enough hot water to make about 1 cup. Scatter the potatoes around and under the lamb and return the pan to the oven for about 20-30 minutes until the skin of the lamb is brown and crisp (cover loosely with a piece of foil if the lamb becomes too dark before this time).
• At this point, remove only the lamb from the roasting pan and transfer it to a platter. Cover it loosely with some foil and let it rest for 20 minutes. Continue roasting the potatoes for another 15 minutes, or so, until they become soft and have a nice golden color. There should be still plenty of juice in the pan.
• To serve, spoon some pan juices over the lamb, divide it in four portions and serve it alongside the lemon potatoes. Garnish with some lemon slices and enjoy with a glass of Merlot.

SLOW-COOKED GREEK LAMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and sit a shelf as low as possible. Pierce the lamb all over with a small knife, then fill each slit with a garlic clove and half an anchovy fillet. Rub all over with the oil, then season.
• Heat a flameproof casserole dish and sear the lamb all over until well browned. Take off the heat, remove the lamb from the dish and tip in the tomatoes, carrots, sage and rosemary. Sit the lamb on top and scatter over the thyme.
• Cover the dish, slip it onto the bottom shelf of the oven and cook for 4-5 hrs until pull-apart tender. Carefully lift the lamb from the dish, discard the herbs and roughly squash the tomatoes into the juices. Sit the lamb back in the dish and serve in big shredded chunks with tzatziki, chickpea salad and flatbreads for mopping up the juices.

GREEK CHICKEN (OR LAMB)

Steps:

• Wipe chicken dry and sprinkle with salt& pepper.
• Melt butter in a dutch oven and brown the chicken pieces on all sides; remove and set aside.
• To the same pot, add onions and garlic and saute until onions are soft; add tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar and cinnamon, then stir in sherry.
• Return the chicken to the dutch oven and correct seasonings with the salt& pepper.
• Simmer for 25 minutes, adding hot water as needed, until chicken is tender (you do want this saucy as you will need a cup of sauce for the rice, plus extra to pour over the finished dish).
• (If you are using lamb, depending on the cut, cook longer as needed until the lamb is tender).
• Remove from the heat.
• In another pot, combine the chicken broth with 1 cup water and 1 cup tomato sauce in which the chicken was cooked; bring to a boil, add the rice, salt lightly, and stir.
• Cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes (do not uncover during cooking).
• Remove the rice from the heat, stir gently with a fork and cover, and let stand a few more minutes.
• While the rice is standing, if you wish, reheat the chicken.
• To serve, pack the cooked rice into demitasse cups or teacups and unmold with the chicken on warmed plates.
• Pour more sauce over the chicken and rice.
• If needed, arrange any remaining chicken and rice on a platter and pour more sauce over all.
• NOTES: I've used shoulder lamb chops, lamb stew, and shanks, but my favorite was to sometimes get a thick slice (about 1 1/2") from the leg or shoulder from a butcher; it made almost a potted lamb roast that way and was delicious sliced up and served in the same manner as the chicken.

GREEK LAMB SHOULDER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Mix dressing, rosemary, vinegar, lemon zest and pepper until blended.
• Score flesh on both sides of lamb shoulder. Insert garlic pieces into scored lines in meat. Place lamb, fat side up, on rack in roasting pan. Brush lamb with dressing mixture; top with oregano. Pour chicken broth around lamb.
• Bake 30 min. Reduce temperature to 325°F; cover. Bake 2 hours. Increase oven temperature to 350°F. Bake, uncovered, 30 min. or until lamb is done (160°F), basting occasionally with pan juices.